Checklist for Planning Your Next Business Meeting | Whitepaper

Planning a successful business meeting or corporate event is a lot of hard work. Whether you plan a dozen events each year or are new to the process, planning for every scenario of your big event is no easy task. To make sure your event goes off without a hitch, a truly talented team of individuals must come together to make sure your event is flawless from start to finish.

With so much work, it’s no wonder that many event planners and business representatives are left with mountains of paperwork, excruciating headaches and stress in the months leading up to their corporate event. Take some of the stress out of your next corporate meeting by arranging to host your event in the meeting spaces in a local hotel and following these tips when planning your next business meeting.

Establish Your Corporate Meeting Dates Early

For large-scale events, you will want to try to plan your event at least one year in advance of the event, while smaller sized gatherings can be planned in less time. Many hotels book their largest gathering areas and meeting spaces quickly, so be sure to have several dates set aside in case the hotel cannot accommodate your first choice of dates.

Choosing the Right Hotel for Your Event

The venue of your event will play a big role in determining how successful your event is. Make sure you choose the best location possible to meet the needs of not only your business but also the needs of your featured speakers and guests.

When choosing a hotel, make sure to think about the size of your event in terms of people attending and how much space your event will require. Many business owners and event planners elect to host their events at a downtown hotel, giving their guests ample opportunities to relax and unwind during their free time, like in the evening, around the conference.

Downtown boutique hotels are often the top choice for many planners, because of their intimate setting and detail-oriented staff to set a warm, welcoming atmosphere for your event.

Planning the Budget

After you have selected a date and venue for your corporate event, you should then budget the costs of your event. In addition to the costs of renting the hotel meeting venue, you should plan to include décor expenses, signage and name badges, catering costs, equipment rental fees and any activity expenses you plan to make.

After your core costs are accounted for, you should plan to set aside some extra funding to use for any marketing and promotion purposes or to account for any unforeseen expenses that may occur along the planning process.

Creating an Agenda

Give your guests a reason to attend your event by creating an agenda filled with speakers and activities to entice your guests to sign up. Establishing an agenda, arranging for a few high-profile speakers a few months ahead of the conference and promoting their presence at the conference will help drive up attendance and may even attract the attention of specialized media, helping promote your event throughout your industry.

Whether you’re planning a corporate banquet, a small business gathering or an industry-wide conference, make your next business conference or gathering special with help from the event planning team at the Ellis Hotel. Our Atlanta meeting rooms and conference venues are equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technologies and luxuries to help your event stand out. Plus, our convenient downtown Atlanta location right on historic Peachtree Street places your event in the heart of downtown Atlanta’s bustling business community and in close proximity to all major downtown Atlanta attractions. If you’re looking to plan an event or corporate meeting, contact the Ellis Hotel today and let us take your event to new heights.